Neurodivergent FE students can benefit from new SEND Reform – if we learn from what already works

With the publication of the Government’s long-awaited SEND Reform within the Schools White Paper, neurodivergent FE students must now be firmly included in the national conversation about implementation.

The reforms, unveiled by the Department for Education, set out a generational overhaul of SEND provision, backed by £4 billion in investment and the introduction of new Individual Support Plans (ISPs), alongside a refocusing of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) on those with the most complex needs. The ambition to improve consistency, early intervention and inclusion is welcome. But as the system moves from policy to practice, it is vital that post-16 learners, particularly neurodivergent young people, are not treated as an afterthought.

At Pinc College, we’ve spent nearly a decade working with neurodivergent young people aged 16-24 who have too often been failed by post-16 systems that were never designed with them in mind.

Learners with SEND remain some of the most educationally disadvantaged in the English state education system. In 2024, students aged 16-19 with SEND support were 3.5 grades behind students with no identified SEND with that gap wider still (at 6.8 grades behind) for pupils with an EHC plan. At the same time, there has been a 16% increase in learners aged 16-19 and over with an EHCP who are not in education, employment or training.

Behind these figures are young people whose needs are not being met by mainstream provision under increasing financial, staffing and resourcing pressures. Many are offered post-16 options through specialist SEND centres that do not reflect their aspirations, learning profiles or sensory needs. Parents repeatedly tell us that their local offer is pitched too low for their child with a focus on basic life skills. There is a feeling that often the ‘SEND’ label implies low ability or no ability. For our students, this is not accurate.

A methodology built around the whole individual

I founded Pinc College in 2016 after observing how limited further education options were for neurodivergent students once they left school. Rather than adapting young people to fit existing systems, we set out to design a model that starts with the whole individual and builds education around them. And crucially, that offers high-quality qualifications so they can go on to whatever path they choose.

Over ten years of research, delivery and listening closely to students, parents and carers, we have developed a methodology grounded in five core principles.

First, relationships of trust. Many of our students arrive having experienced trauma or exclusion. Progress begins when students feel safe enough to be their authentic selves, understood as individuals rather than labels, and confident that their voices matter.

Second, purposeful and inspiring environments. Pinc College delivers education from within and in partnership with galleries, museums and cultural institutions – spaces that are often calmer, more reflective and better suited to neurodivergent sensory needs. These environments provide rich, contextualised learning opportunities and foster a sense of belonging, connection and community that traditional settings can struggle to offer.

Third, bespoke learning pathways. Every student develops an Individual Learning Plan aligned to their EHCP outcomes, aspirations and interests. The starting point is who the student is and where they want to go.

Fourth, high-quality qualifications. Our programmes support students to achieve UAL Level 2 and 3 diplomas, giving them access to further learning, higher education or university.

Finally, real-world learning and pathways to work. By working alongside cultural partners and sector professionals, students access work-based learning, industry insight and genuine progression routes into employment.

Our approach improves attendance as well as grades and all progress into supported internships, employment, further or higher education, or other positive destinations.

These outcomes are not the result of selective intake or reduced expectations. They are the result of a system designed to work with neurodivergent students and on a par with their peers.

What SEND Reform must now deliver for FE

Now that the SEND Reform has been published, the real work – implementation – can begin.

If the Government’s investment and structural changes are to succeed, further education must be explicitly recognised as a critical phase in SEND policy, not simply an extension of school reform.

The introduction of Individual Support Plans (ISPs) has the potential to improve consistency and earlier intervention. But for post-16 learners, reform must also support innovative delivery models and partnerships, including those outside traditional college campuses, that demonstrably improve engagement, wellbeing and outcomes.

Above all, it means valuing environments, relationships and belonging as essential components of success, not optional extras.

The SEND Reform presents a rare opportunity to reset how we support neurodivergent young people as they transition into adulthood. At Pinc College, we see every day what becomes possible when education is designed around the learner.

For the reforms to truly succeed for all young people, Government needs to now be bold enough to learn from what already works, and inclusive enough to make it the norm, not the exception.

By Lisa Alberti, Founder and CEO of Pinc College